Do we have this all wrong? We talk about work-life balance, managing our personal lives, and all else we do within our work commitments.
Do we have our priorities straight? We prioritize work constantly and attempt to fit our personal needs into any gaps that may exist, willingly dismissing personal commitments to meet work needs. Yet, why do we work? For most, it is to have a better life.
Think of a life-work balance. The younger generations can teach us how to realign our commitments. Why we do things, and what is reasonable and not. Being a good worker does not imply you are always at the mercy of the whims of the organization. Beyond emergencies, if an organization expects you to be on-call perpetual, it is unlikely there will ever be a balance.
You know you are on track if you commit to set vacations well in advance, plan nights out, and schedule time with friends. And even more so, when unimportant work needs arise that create conflict, you should be able to say ‘No’ readily.
